The present preferred embodiment concerns a method for handling of an endless belt for an electrophotographic printer or copier as well as a unit that comprises an endless belt and a holder, and a system for electrophotographic printing or copying.
The endless belt can, for example, be a photoconductor belt as it is used in modern printers and copiers as an intermediate carrier. Such a photoconductor belt has a photoconducting coating that is initially charged to generate a latent charge image and is then exposed, whereby the change on the exposed points dissipates. The latent charge image so generated can then be developed with toner, and the toner image can be transfer-printed from the photoconductor belt in one or more further steps. Such a photoconductor belt is therefore designated as an intermediate carrier.
The photoconducting coating of the endless belt can be an inorganic photoconductor (for example ZnO) or an organic photoconductor. Details regarding such photoconductor belts and their functionality are, for example, specified in chapter 3 of the handbook “Das Druckerbuch” by G. Goldmann, 7th edition, 2002, ISBN 3-000-001019-X”, which is incorporated by reference into the present specification. Such photoconductor belts are consumable parts and must be exchanged at regular intervals. This means that the photoconductor belts must also be stored outside of the printer or copier, must be transported and inserted into the printer or copier, and must be removed therefrom. Such further activities are summarized in the present document with the term “handling” of the photoconductor belt.
The handling of photoconductor belts is made more difficult since the photoconductor belt is relatively sensitive, in particular sensitive to buckling, and therefore an inappropriate handling of the photoconductor belt easily leads to a damaging of the same.
Methods for transport and for packaging of an endless belt are known from U.S. Patents U.S. Pat. No. 3,888,577, U.S. Pat. No. 5,708,924 A and U.S. Pat. No. 4,811,839. In all of these methods, the packaged endless belt has at least approximately the shape that it also has in the installed state in a printer or copier. This leads to a large and consequently unwieldy and expensive packaging.
Further prior art is contained in U.S. Patents U.S. Pat. No. 5,119,133 A, U.S. Pat. No. 5,163,265 A, U.S. Pat. No. 3,186,543 A, U.S. Pat. No. 3,332,546 A and U.S. Pat. No. 4,811,839 A.